ACE Study

When someone is imprisoned, it doesn’t just affect the incarcerated. It affects the people left behind. Young people. Nearly three million children in the united states have parents in the criminal justice system – it’s almost 1 in 10 kids in California alone. It can be costly and difficult to visit or call a parent behind bars. And losing a relationship can be traumatic... with lasting consequences. A new art exhibit on Alcatraz Islan, called The Sentence Unseen, examines this reality. KALW’s Catherine Girardeau has the story.

On the August 4, 2014 edition: Host David Onek and a panel of experts look at why childhood stress can impact long-term health.

What are the biochemical changes that occur because of early stress, and why can they reduce life expectancy? What diseases are most commonly seen in adults who have experienced childhood trauma? And what can doctors treating at-risk kids do to improve long-term health outcomes?